From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 17, 2026
Report: Iran has spent 60-day MOU window getting ready to ‘widen the war’
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Iran reportedly spent the two months since signing a memorandum of understanding with the US to prepare for ramped up fighting rather than diplomacy.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, citing Iranian and Arab officials, Tehran believed the US was also only buying time for a future attack. Therefore over the past 60 days Iran reportedly ramped up production of missiles and drones and tapped hardline figures to key positions.
The 60-day period inked in the MOU expires today.
The WSJ report asserts that Arab intelligence officials have pointed to a “strategic shift” among Iranian leadership to “get their forces ready to widen the war.”
Mohammad Hassan Sangtarash, a Tehran-based defense analyst, tells the newspaper that “there is also a widespread view in Iran that the main war has not yet begun.”
The Times of Israel Community.